In Prishtina, in Podujevë, in Gjilan and in Ferizaj, massive demonstrations of the youth and the Albanian people of Kosovo were organized, with the main demand that Kosovo be recognized as a republic within the Yugoslav Federation. In the preceding period, with the discussions on constitutional changes, with the Linguistic Consultation of Pristina, with the manifestations on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Skanderbeg’s death and with the student movements in Europe, a favorable political climate was already created in Kosovo for demands regarding the advancement of rights of Albanians in Yugoslavia. Thus, during October and November of 1968, massive demonstrations of the youth and the Albanian people broke out in many cities of Kosovo, which had as their main demand the recognition of the status of the republic for Kosovo and the right of Albanians to self- determination. The largest and most massive demonstration was that of Pristina, where the demonstrators, with banners and chanting slogans , started from the Faculty of Philosophy (today Philology), marching towards the city center, to the Assembly of Kosovo, and stopped in the square in front of the Regional Theater. Demonstrators during the march in the city encountered the harsh attitude of the police. The demonstration in Pristina lasted from 15:40 until the late evening of November 27, 1968. Even in the demonstrations that were organized in Gjilan, Ferizaj and Podujevë, the demonstrators clashed with the police forces. The main demands and slogans of the demonstrators were: “We want the Republic”, “Self-determination until secession”, “Constitution”, “University”, “Down with the colonialist policy towards Kosovo”, “We will shed blood for our rights”, etc. The demonstrations of 1968 for the first time brought to light the great Albanian problem in Yugoslavia, which until then the Yugoslav government had tried to keep closed in various ways. Regardless of the severity with which the government of that time responded, the demonstrations had an extremely important effect on the acceleration of several processes in Kosovo: the establishment of the University of Pristina was accelerated, constitutional amendments were approved that advanced the status of Kosovo, economic development was accelerated, new institutions were founded and cultural and educational cooperation with Albania intensified. (In the photo: Moment from the mass demonstration, 1968.)
Text: The encyclopedic dictionary of Kosovo – Vol. I , Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Prishtina, 2018, page 311.
Graphic processing: AHCF
